V-Twin vs. Inline four?

Hi I'm new to the forum!

So, I used to have a SV650 SK8 until a lovely person decided to pull out on me and total her

After the driver finally admitted liability, I decided to buy a Triumph Speed four with the money for a more sporty and streetfighter-y bike.

I've only just managed to get it out properly, after spending £400 on the bugger getting the valves sorted and a full service (1st owner did 21000 miles and never got its major service!!!)

I cant quite seem to get on with it, its a good bike, running perfectly now, I just think I'm used to V twins.

I'm thinking about getting rid of the Speed four and going back to a v twin based bike or maybe a hornet or something..... or should I just be able to adjust to it? I've only ever ridden inline 4's on a 33bhp licence, the SV was the first bike I had with out the restrictor.

Opinions / Advice???

[jambo]

Only you can tell if this is for you.

I'd say give it a good few rides to find out if you gel. For now it's just "different". That means it won't ride like the SV, but it'll do plenty of things brilliantly if you get used to it. The riding position will be odd, the engine will behave differently.

Go for a decent ride by yourself, out of town, just for fun and try out some A & B roads and see how you feel after that. Hopefully you'll find that it just needs to be ridden in a way that wouldn't work for the SV to get the best from it

Jambo

In the right hands the speed four will blow the socks off an SV.

Is there anything in particular you cant get on with? It is possible to fit raised bars to give a more streetfighter than sports position.

Just need to wait for the salt to get off the roads first before I take it on the A and B roads around my area
I'll give it a shot and see how I get on in the next couple of weeks.

Is there anything in particular you cant get on with? It is possible to fit raised bars to give a more streetfighter than sports position.

I think its just the general feel, obviously the SV was a lot softer compared to this and easier to ride.
I thought about risers a while ago, do you think it'll ruin the way the Speed four was meant to handle? ie sporty and low? and whats the cheapest way to go about this? New top yolk or risky drilling?

I would go with the LSL set personally.

If you think it'll ruin the handling talk to rictus, doesn't seem to have done his much harm.

I prefer the clip ons so I took my LSL's off but I can see why others might prefer them.

Is it possible your suspension is set up poorly? It's adjustable and may be set up too stiff (I don't know much about suspension, I just ride the damn thing)

Mines never felt hard, it is very easy to tip into a corner but I've never ridden an SV to compare it to. Maybe I'll talk DaddyJob into a bike swap for a few miles when it brightens up.

Having gone from il4 to vtwin many times the main difference is how high its revving at any given moment. If you are riding the il4 like a twin it will be ****. You have to thrash them more and chase the top end. I've decided now though that I prefer the characteristics of a twin and will be staying with 2 cylinders as they make better road bikes in my opinion.

Engine braking is totally different.. Twins cut as soon as you chop it but inlines roll. Inlines have a smooth power delivery while the twins have the low down grunt. As said, if you ride a IL4 like a twin then your going to have a **** time.

Rode my friends s4 on sunday. It was brilliant, handling is unreal. Tips in so easily it's like it reads your mind.

The SV does have loads of low grunt that you'll miss, but get used to the top end rush of the s4 and when you ride an sv next you'll be hitting the limiter wanting more top end. I know I was.

Honestly I think it depends how you ride. If I was getting a fast bike now it would be an RC8 or an SP1/2. IL4 just doesn't do it for me. They don't feel particularly alive, just mind bendingly fast.

Originally Posted by rb8989

Rode my friends s4 on sunday. It was brilliant, handling is unreal. Tips in so easily it's like it reads your mind.

The SV does have loads of low grunt that you'll miss, but get used to the top end rush of the s4 and when you ride an sv next you'll be hitting the limiter wanting more top end. I know I was.

Told ya.

The suspension set up is very high spec for its age. It's a top of the line Sports bike with the fairing ripped off instead of a lot of that eras nakeds which were budget bin specials.